Dear Christian friends,

In our text Jesus tells us about a problem and its solution. The problem happens often in a Christian congregation. What is the problem?

One member does wrong against another member. One brother sins against another brother or one sister sins against the other sister. That is the problem. You know that should not happen in a Christian congregation. Jesus, our Lord, commands us to love one another and be like a nice family in our churches, But we are not perfect yet, and so that often happens that one member does wrong against another member or maybe both do wrong to each other.

What can we do about that problem? In our text Jesus tells us what we should do when someone sins against us.

In our text Jesus says, "If your brother sins against you, go to him and show him his wrong. But do that privately between the two of you.” (v. 15 a,b) If someone sins against you, "go to him and tell him." Don't go to others to tell them! Don't gossip or complain about him to your friends or to his friends. If you do that you make the problem worse and it will be much harder in the future to make peace with him. Go to that person who did wrong to you. Don't go to others. "Go to him and talk to him privately." (v.15b) You don't want to embarrass him before others. Jesus Says, "Go to him privately between the two of you." (v. 15b)

Don't be afraid to go and tell him. Maybe he is not aware that he did wrong against you. He perhaps does not know that you feel hurt and upset because of what he did or said. How can he know if you keep still and not inform him? Jesus says, "If your brother sins against you, go to him." "GO TO HIM; TELL HIM!"

Also, if you do not go and tell him, you yourself will stay angry and upset and continue to hate him. Satan will use that to destroy your faith and your soul. Choked-up anger and hatred is poison to your faith and soul and can cause physical illnesses. Wisely the apostle St. Paul advises us, "If you are angry, don't sin: Let not the sun go down upon your anger: don't give place to the devil." (Eph.4:26-27) If someone sins against you, go to him and tell him before the sun sets, or else you will stay angry and the devil will control you. Therefore go to your brother and tell him and try to make peace with him.

True, you should wait a while to cool off and get control of your emotions, Count to 100 or 1000 first. Pray about it. Ask God to give you the Holy Spirit and wisdom to say the right words. And remember that you yourself are a Sinner and that you sometimes do wrong against others, Remember that God shows mercy to you and forgives you in Jesus Christ. Pray as you do in the Lord's Prayer: "Forgive me my sins as I forgive those who sin against me." Then go to him privately, to his house or apartment and go with humble heart and with kindness. Go with the intention to make friends with him or her again. Tell that person, "Maybe you are not aware that what you said this morning hurt me very much. I am very sad and upset because of what you said." If that person is a real Christian he will be sorry and ask you to forgive him. If he is sorry, fine! Forgive him and make peace. Jesus says, "If your brother listens to you and is sorry, then you have a brother again." (v.15c) Thank God when that happens!

But perhaps the brother refuses to listen to you and is not sorry about his wrong doing and argues and excuses his sin. What should you do then?

In our text Jesus says, "If he refuses to listen to you, then bring one or two other people with you so that they can witness everything you discuss." (v.16)

Ask a good elder or the pastor to go with you a second time to visit the brother and talk to him again privately. Perhaps if two or three people agree that _he did wrong to you, he will see his wrong and confess his sin and be sorry. Then you two can become friends again. Thank God! The angels in heaven rejoice because one sinner repents!

But perhaps the person who sinned against you remains proud and stubborn and refuses to listen to the elders or the pastor you brought with you. Then what can you do?

Jesus answers in our text: "If he still refuses to listen to you, then tell your story to the whole congregation." (v. 17a) The pastor must announce to the congregation about this brother who has sinned and is not sorry. The secretary of the congregation must write a letter to the brother and invite him to a meeting of the congregation so that everyone can hear the story. The pastor before the whole congregation asks him if he is sorry about his wrong. If that brother is sorry and makes peace with the other brother, everyone is happy and rejoices with God and the angels in heaven. The congregation forgets it.

But if that person remains proud and stubborn and not sorry, then what should the congregation do? Jesus answers, "If he refuses to obey the congregation, then do to him like an unbeliever." (v. 17b) Then every- one is sad and the pastor has the unpleasant duty to announce that this person's sin is not forgiven to him, and he is no more a member of Jesus' Church, We are sad when someone is discharged from the Church, but we must do that unpleasant duty for that person's own good. When he is put out of the Church he may realize how serious that is what he has done, It is intended to help him wake up and repent. It is also a warning to all of us that we should not be proud and stubborn and refuse to confess our wrongs to one another.

In our text Jesus says that it is a very serious thing if the Church forgives sins or not forgive sins. Jesus says that the congregation has the power to forgive sins or to not forgive sins. Jesus says, "I tell you the truth, if you do not forgive that persons sins, then I do not forgive his sins. And if you forgive his sins then I will forgive him. Again I tell you: If two of you here on earth agree to pray for something, then My Father in heaven will do that. Because where two or three of you meet together in My name, there am I among you." (vv. 18-20) Here Jesus gives the Christian congregation the wonderful power - the power of the keys: one key to unlock heaven to sorry sinners and the other key to close and lock heaven to the not sorry sinners. We call that the Office of the Keys.

Because the Christian congregation has the Office of the Keys we all, each one should give attention to what Jesus says here, and very much respect and honor what our congregation is and does: whether it forgives sins or not forgive sins. If we happen to sin against someone and they come to us and tell us our wrong, we should not be stubborn and proud or try to argue and defend our wrong. But we should listen to our Christian brother or our pastor or the whole congregation when it admonishes us.

Be humble! Be sorry! Ask your brother to forgive you! The brother can and the congregation can because Jesus has given to His Church the Office of the Keys. But remember, the congregation also has power to not forgive sins to those who refuse to repent.

May God show mercy to us and help us do right way when we sin against someone, or when someone sins against us!

AMEN.